index dbc524e..eb2b50f 100644
@@ -25,11 +25,18 @@ Kinds: `ingest` (new source read), `update` (page edited), `create` (new page),
- `~/memory/research/documentation-best-practices-2026-04-23.md`
- Beads: picortex-S0-1 (plan docs), picortex-S0-2 (LLM wiki).
-## [2026-04-23] rule | Research-ingestion cutoff for Cortex
+## [2026-04-23] study | Piyush-era Cortex design + prototype options
-- Added guardrail to `cortex-inheritance.md` and `AGENTS.md`: **do NOT ingest Cortex commits before `af3a76f5` (2026-01-26, Tejas DC)** — the Piyush-era EC2/SSH/Vercel architecture (9 commits, Jan 20-23) predates containerized workspaces and teaches patterns that conflict with every current picortex ADR.
-- Verified current picortex research is clean: the initial research agent used `--since="1 week ago"` and never touched pre-cutoff history.
-- Rule applies to future quarterly Cortex diff reviews, the D2 isolation-report agent, and any ad-hoc Cortex ingestion.
+- Created `piyush-era-design.md` (full study of pre-container Cortex at `d2d6a534`).
+- Created `docs/plans/2026-04-23-prototype-options.md` — 6 prototype options (Options 1-6) along a 6-axis decision space (physical layout, workspace granularity, agent executor, session memory, knowledge layer, dev surface).
+- Softened the pre-container cutoff rule: was "ignore pre-`af3a76f5`"; now "don't *inherit* pre-container patterns, but *do* study that era — several of its patterns (bot/workspace split, `claude -c -p` per turn) are exactly what the texting-first picortex wants."
+- Filed 9 ordered brainstorm tickets `picortex-Q0` → `picortex-Q8` to drive prototype-option selection.
+
+## [2026-04-23] rule | Research-ingestion cutoff for Cortex (superseded by next entry)
+
+- Added guardrail to `cortex-inheritance.md` and `AGENTS.md`: do NOT ingest Cortex commits before `af3a76f5` (2026-01-26, Tejas DC) — the Piyush-era EC2/SSH/Vercel architecture (9 commits, Jan 20-23) predates containerized workspaces.
+- Verified current picortex research was clean: the initial research agent used `--since="1 week ago"` and never touched pre-cutoff history.
+- **Rule softened same-day** — see entry above.
## [2026-04-23] verify | GitHub latest-version sweep of all referenced repos